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Partners' Perspective: Fundraising Careers
An Interview with S&W Partners Scott Schultz and Jane Williams
January 2012

In addition to advising clients, Scott Schultz (SS) and Jane Williams (JW) have counseled hundreds of individual nonprofit professionals over the years. We recently sat down with the partners to gather their best advice to those new to the nonprofit field, and to fundraising in particular – whether early career individuals or mid-career professionals making a shift to the development arena.

Q: What has changed the most about fundraising in the past 25 years?
JW: It has become a true career option. People used to get into development without planning, but now you can educate yourself for a fundraising career – a liberal arts foundation, courses in marketing, writing skills – the basic skills of persuasion. Today, there are many opportunities to move from one institution to another and to learn the basics of their cases.

SS: Today there are many more layers of fundraising activity, and it’s not easy to learn them all in one place. Fundraising used to be primarily peer-to-peer, but now the role of social media, cause marketing and events is significant. And it’s additive – the tried and true techniques are still valid.

Q: What should people look for in their first fundraising job?
JW: You should believe in what the organization does, have some familiarity with the issues its programs address. People are always more successful at institutions they like. It’s also important to find yourself a place with a staff that’s large enough to learn from.

SS: And you should stay long enough to show a record of accomplishment – building relationships with donors and meeting campaign goals takes time. Too many people today jump from job to job without sticking around to see these long-term projects come to fruition.

I’d recommend grantwriting as wonderful training for fundraising. In any grant proposal, no matter how short or long, you must establish the organization’s credibility, offer a problem statement, make the ask, outline the project budget…and in any kind of fundraising it’s important to know how to communicate these things, whether succinctly or with great elaboration.

Q: Many nonprofit organizations are facing unprecedented challenges, yet still need qualified employees. What are some cautions for professionals who are considering joining an organization that may be struggling?
SS: If you have something concrete to offer and can help fix the organization’s problems, a situation like this can be a tremendous career opportunity. You will want to be sure that the Board and staff leadership are on the same page about problem-solving.

People transitioning to the nonprofit sector should understand what they’re getting into: it’s not necessarily easier than the for-profit sphere. They need to understand the business model, the role of the Board.

JW: It’s critical to try to determine whether the organization’s case for support holds water. That will be based on their history, their background, their strategic plan – the development professional can’t just make it up.

Q: What qualities or skills are important for success as a fundraiser?
SS: Of course, there are many avenues of fundraising. You need to match your skills and work within your comfort zone. A good fundraiser is always linking potential donors to the organization, whether it’s through major gift asks, grantwriting or grassroots direct mail. You could even be the prospect researcher who is finding new donors, or the development communications expert who is using broad-based messaging to build stronger donor engagement.

JW: You need to have the right kind of personality – be able to hold your own with wealthy and successful people but understand that you are not necessarily their peer. Rather, you are a link between the prospect and the cause. If you can build a level of trust, you will raise a lot of money. You don’t even need to be the asker – but you can play a critical role in creating an environment or relationship where a successful ask is possible. An alumnus of a college or a grateful patient at a hospital can be successful in this kind of role.

Also, you need to be motivated by self-satisfaction. You shouldn’t expect a lot of external recognition, but with fundraising there is a measurable outcome.

SS: Yes, you need to be happy being invisible and have the satisfaction that you know you helped others in your organization be out in front.

Schultz & Williams is a national consulting firm based in Philadelphia providing management, fundraising and marketing consulting for nonprofit organizations, along with full-service direct marketing, database and creative/production services.